“Undocumented Immigrants in New Mexico: State Tax Contributions and Fiscal Concerns” is available from New Mexico Voices for Children.
New Mexico residents living illegally in the United States pay more than enough in unavoidable sales and property taxes to cover the local and state costs of educating undocumented children, suggests a study.
The study—conducted by New Mexico Voices for Children, in Albuquerque—estimates that state and local governments in New Mexico spend between $49 million and $67 million each year to provide K-12 education for undocumented children.
The two figures are based on different estimates for the number of undocumented immigrants in New Mexico. Regardless of which estimate is used, the study found, undocumented immigrants pay at least $1 million more in taxes per year than what state and local governments spend on the education of undocumented children.